Blog | HemaCare

The cartilage in rheumatoid arthritis patients, once believed impenetrable to therapies, could be treated by the body's microvesicles that may carry therapeutic agents and enter these hard-to-reach spots.

Rheumatoid arthritis is an inflammatory autoimmune disease in which the body's own immune system attacks the joints and affects the underlying bone and cartilage, resulting in pain and inflammation. The disease may also affect other parts of the body, bringing serious complications such as low red blood cell count and inflammation around the heart. Between 0.5 and 1% of adults in the developed world are affected by rheumatoid arthritis, and the numbers are certain to grow as the population ages.